Improvement in ventilating boots and shoes



"IL'fSC 'H W A R Z W A L D. Ventilating Boots and Shoes.

Patenteduuly 23, 1878,

noms rams. ln: mum. msmnmon. u c

UNITED raras PATENTOFFICE IMPROVEMENT IN VENTILATING BOOTS-AND SHOES.

To all irl/,6m 'it may concern lie it known that l, .[sAiic SonwAnzw'ALn, ot the city, county, and State ot New York, have invented new and nset'nl Improvements in Ventilated lBoots and Shoes; and I declare the following to be afullldescription thereof, referencebeinghad tothe aecompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is abottom view ol' my improved insole; Fig. 2, a sectional view thereof on the line my of Fig. 1; lfig. 3, a plan ot' a spring valve, and Fig. 4 a top view of my veutiduct.

The object ot' my invention is to ventilato, boots and shoes. n

The invention consists, first, in the construction of a boot or shoe, in the use of what I term v-'entiduets,7 placed in a vertical position inthe sole a-ndh'cel, andextendingthrougli the same, with openings in the sides thereof, which are opposite to and connect with airpassages traversin gthe sole, by means of which circulation ot' air is constant-ly n'iaintained; second, in a spring -valve extending across the top ofthe insole in a groove in the insole and in the top of the vent-iduct, by means of which the ventiduetis prevented from turning in its position, and the open upper end is closed when discharging its air into the airpassages.

In the .(liawilig, A is the insole, made of leather or other material used for insoles. B is the ventiduet, made of india-rubber or other elast-ic material suitable for the purpose; and (l, the spring-valve, the button or valve ot' which may be made of any suitable material, as leather, wood, or metal, and the spring of wood, rubber, whalebone, or spring metal.

'lhe insole Ais made in sha-pe and form as insoles usually are. In the bottom of it I sink furrows or grooves g g, forming passages for air, which may be run in any and all directions, but connecting with or running into round perforations or holes k 7; in the insole, which I prefer to make, one each at the heel, ball, and toe, and from the perforation in the heel back to and up the outer side of theeounter h of the boot or shoe, and from the other perforations to the edge of the insole.

The ventiducts B, constructed of the material stat-ed, are rounded on the closed end, which is intended to extend through and ing the edge of the perforation,'flush with theupper side ot the insole. From the air-cham ber into this upper groove passages ff open at the points where the furrows or grooves in the bottom of the insole terminate, thus connectin g the air-chamber with the air-passages i the insole.

The open end of the-air-chamber I prcferto be ush with the upper side ofthe insole. In the upper side of the insole, as shown by the dotted lines iu Fig. 1, are grooves i 17, for the 4reception of the spring d ofthe springvalve c,

which spring is simply a narrow strip of the material stated, slightly sprung downward between its ends. To the center of the under side oft-his spring is att-ached a button, c, fitted to close themouth ofthe air-chamber.

-The top or auge'of the veutiduct B -is also grooved, so that when inposition the spring d ills a continuous groove on the top of the insole and ventiduct across the sole, and prevents the ventiduct from turning. This spring d should be secured to the insole by screws, or in any other desired-manner.

It will be seen that all the air-passages and airehambers are connected.

From the upper end of the grooves, which are continued up outside the counter, outlets may be made either to the outside or inside ot' the boot or shoe; or, by means of rubber or other piping, the air-passages may be carriedl higher and discharged, as stated, at any desired point.

W'hen the boot or shoe is made,a soft insole should be placed overy my improved insole and the ventiduets.

In operation, the air which's admitted to the air-passages and their connections is kept in circulation at every step made bythe wearer, by the compression of theventiduct, which forces theiair in the air-chambers through the air-passages or zfrom es in every direction,

and impurities thrown off by the skin of the feet taken up by the air by the reverse action ot' the ventiducts, when relieved from pressure, are drawn into the air-passages, and discharged at the outlets above the counter at the heel.

- It desired, small holes maybe made in the valves e c, so thatthe air niay be force'd into the boot or shoe directly under the foot.

The ventiduets, made ot' rubber, will also tend to prevent slipping while walkin fr.

As will readily-be seen, by the construction otl these ventidu'cts and the method shown of securingthem in position, they maybe removed when worn out and new ones inserted.

'ily placing the ventidiu-.ts in avert'ical position through the heel or sole many diculties in the way ot manufacture have been obvi ated,

the distribution ot' the currents ot airn allzdi-s rcctions simultaneously obtained, and in the construct ion ot' the boot or shoe no' change in the relations ot' its parts is needed.

The boot or shoe is constructed in Iche or dinary1nanner,aiul perforations made in the ordinary heel and sole alone are necessary to receive` a vertical ventidnet.

Having described lny invention, what lIclaim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is f 1. The combination ot.' the vcntiduct l3,`

placed vertically in the sole or heel of a bootI or slide, and extending belowvthe same, with openings in the sides thereof opposite to and connecting with air-passages traversing; the sole, substantially as described.

2. In a boot orshoe, a flat spring-valve fit:- ting` in 'a groove extending partly across the sole, and partly through the top of the ventidnet, by inea-ns of which the ventiductis prevented fron1turnin inY its position, and its open end is closed.

I. SCHWARZWALD.

Witnesses:

' B. BARNUM,

J. SCHWARZWALD.

LLAMA. 

